Procurement

Four West Coast Cities Seek to Purchase up to 24,000 EVs

Four West Coast mayors released a multi-city request to the automobile industry to meet their growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) in municipal fleets.

San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray have issued a Request for Information — the first step in a formal bidding process. The cities are seeking feedback from OEMs and upfitters regarding electrified transportation and port equipment. Depending on availability and pricing, the four cities could buy or lease up to 24,000 electric vehicles for their fleets.

All four mayors are members of the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, an effort to strengthen local efforts for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and support binding federal and global-level policymaking. Other members of the organization are invited to join this commitment to purchase more EVs, and any additional demand will be added as an appendix to the RFI in February.

The Lee County (Fla.) Mosquito Control District is upgrading its aircraft fleet with six new Airbus H125 helicopters. Each helicopter is capable of hauling more equipment and product than the district's previous aircraft, allowing the district to reduce its fleet.